Week seven of the 2017-2018 NFL season brought a rematch of the Super Bowl LI, the Green Bay Packers’ first game without Aaron Rodgers and a last-second victory in the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders.

Rematch of Super Bowl LI:

Super Bowl Champs, the New England Patriots, faced off against their Super Bowl LI matchup, the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday night. However, the outcome wasn’t much different; the Patriots won 23-7.

All of the team statistics were very similar except for one: efficiency. Atlanta’s third-down efficiency was 22% compared to New England’s 53% and Atlanta’s red zone efficiency was 25% compared to New England’s 40%.

As of now, Atlanta doesn’t seem to be the high-powered team they were last year. They are third in their division, trailing behind the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers. Will the Falcons end up soaring to a playoff spot by the end of the season, or will they continue to descend? Only time will tell.

First Game for the Rodgers-less Packers:

The Green Bay Packers’ first game without Aaron Rodgers turned out as expected; they lost 26-17.

Despite Drew Brees’ early struggles and throwing two interceptions, New Orleans’ offense came out strong and proved to be too tough for Green Bay to overcome.

While New Orleans had an outstanding offensive showing, Aaron Rodgers, who was injured last week, most likely would have been the difference in a win or a loss.

Aaron Jones, a running back for Green Bay, had a nice outing. He ran for 131 yards and had a touchdown. However, a strong running performance still was not enough to push the Packers over the top, which brings us to the absence of Aaron Rodgers.

Brett Hundley, the backup for Rodgers, threw for 87 yards and one interception while completing only 48% of his passes. With numbers that are sub-par compared to Green Bay’s passing numbers under Aaron Rodgers, this can be seen as the most likely factor that contributed to the Packers’ loss.

However, there is still a glimmer of hope for Packers fans. It has been said by an ESPN insider, Adam Schefter, that doctors believe Rodgers can throw again in six weeks which means he can possibly return for the end of the season– although that won’t really matter if the Packers can’t make it to the playoffs.

A Thriller in Oakland:

The Oakland Raiders faced the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday. Both teams have a high-powered offense and a stout defense, so this game came down to the wire as expected.

The two teams went into the half with a score of 20-14 with Kansas City in the lead.

During the final minutes of the 4th quarter, the score was 30-24 with Kansas City still in the lead. The Oakland Raiders, led by quarterback Derek Carr, had one last drive to score a touchdown and an extra point to win the game. With the odds against them and two touchdowns that were reversed, one because of a replay review and one because of an offensive penalty, Oakland was right on Kansas City’s goal-line with 3 seconds left. Derek Carr hiked the ball and threw it to Michael Crabtree for a 2-yard touchdown pass as time expired, making the score 31-30 with Oakland taking the victory after a completed extra point.

Have the Raiders been revived with the return of Derek Carr? It’s definitely something to watch for.